Watersports and Development of Drug Resistance?

Jun 17, 2011

Hi Dr. Bob,

First, please let me take this opportunity to thank you for countless hours of informative and entertaining reading. Your columns are always a much appreciated mix of erudition and humor which never fail to enlighten!

I am writing today in hopes that you can resolve a debate among a group of fellow pozzie watersports enthusiasts (of the urine ingestion kind). While everyone is aware that HIV cannot be transmitted through such play (assuming there is no blood in the urine), the ongoing debate is whether trace amounts of HIV meds in excreted urine, if ingested, could conceivably result in a drug resistance through repeated sampling from the tap of an individual who's treatment regimen included a class of meds not being taken by the imbiber. Any insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hi.

I've certainly heard this concern a number of times over the years, but have not found any medical information to confirm or disprove the theoretical risk. The best I can offer is that while it may be theoretically possible, from a practical point of view it would be extremely unlikely and require someone to swallow up more pee than a urinal at intermission at a Lady Gaga concert.

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